Saturday, May 18, 2019

“The Handmaid's Tale” is an Emmy award-winning series that depicts a disturbing dystopian scenario during the rule of Gilead, a totalitarian state that has taken over what was once the United States of America.

In this era, when the environment is heavily polluted and birthrate is falling, women are treated as state property. Men make all the rules, and hold most of the power. The women have almost no rights. It is even considered heresy for them to read. Inevitably, following this imbalance, where competition is intense and there is little room to breathe, women tend to do cruel things to each other. In an effort to repopulate the earth again, the few women who are found to be fertile are forced into sexual servitude under a banner of religion, and are called Handmaids.

The TV series created by Bruce Miller, is based on the best-selling book written by Margaret Atwood. Even though the book was published 34 years ago, it now more relevant than ever, with what is currently happening in a fractured USA. As the the recent ruling against abortion in Alabama, Ohio and Missouri shows, “The Handmaid's Tale” is no longer a metaphor - it is fast becoming a reality.

Season 3 of “The Handmaid's Tale” ups the ante as the resistance grows against the regime of Gilead. Offred (Elisabeth Moss), who has sacrificed her chance to escape, returns to fight back, with all the allies that she can garner, and with whatever means that she can muster. It is time for each and everyone to take a stand.

Red Dot Diva admits that it can be difficult to watch the ugly scenes that unfold during some of the episodes in “The Handmaid's Tale”. However, these are very same scenes that speak to her regarding her existence as a woman, and reminds her not to take the rights that she now have for granted. It is also a cry to continually make a stand for more freedom to be accorded to women, and for more barriers to be broken.

On 6 June, 3 episodes of “The Handmaid's Tale” will premiere in Asia, exclusively on HBO GO. A new episode of the 13-episode third season will premiere every subsequent Thursday.
Red Dot Diva highly recommends that you watch the past two seasons before beginning with Season 3. All the episodes of Season 1 and 2 are available on the streaming platform for your binging needs.

For those who prefer a non-streaming platform, the series is also available on HBO On Demand.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Emmy Award-winning science fiction anthology “Black Mirror” has released a teaser for its 5th season, which will premiere 5 June, exclusively on Netflix.

The inventive show, created by Charlie Brooker, consists of dark tales that unfold in a familiar, yet dystopian, technology-driven world set in the near future. It is this familiarity, the reflection of our basic human flaws, and the plausible scenarios depicted that provide viewers with an uncomfortable sense of paranoia.

Killer robotic dogs? With Boston Dynamics showing off the technological advances with their animal-like bots... Yep! Totally possible. Dating apps that dictating your life, including how long you need to live with someone? Not too far away from reality. Same for people who are crazy... literally, off rocker insane, about raking Likes and approval on social media. With each episode, “Black Mirror” episode, the series takes you on a mostly satirical journey together with androids, augmented consciousness programs, neural implants and more.

If this is the first time you have heard of “Black Mirror”, there are already four season out in the wild, plus an interactive instalment called “Bandersnatch”. There is still some time to catch up all of them before the series take us all around the bend again!

Saturday, March 2, 2019

Wuxia fans will now have a new martial arts action drama to indulge in. On April 6, CINEMAX will premiere “Warrior”, their first tentpole 10-episode series which is based on the writings of the one and only martial arts legend Bruce Lee.

Back in the 1970's, Bruce Lee tried to get his 8-page pitch called “The Warrior” to be produced, but at that time, the Hollywood studios were not confident that audiences would accept an Asian lead actor as the hero. Things have changed a lot in recent years, with more Asian actors leading Hollywood movies and TV shows, and gaining prominence for their work. With such a pedigree behind it, “Warrior” should prove to be a worthy a fix for those who love to watch martial arts shows.

How did the back story of how Bruce Lee's script finally came to fruition? This amazing journey from idea to TV series is now chronicled in Cinemax's 8-part docu-series, “Becoming Warrior”, and all 8 episodes are now currently available on Cinemax's Youtube Channel!

Saturday, October 6, 2018

October is the best season for a nice, spine-chilling scarefest, and HBO Asia will be rewarding horror fans with a 6-episode anthology called "Folklore".

Created by award-winning local director Eric Khoo, "Folklore" is a HBO Asia Original series that brings a modern or updated twist to the classic ghoulies and myths that Asians will be familiar with. The team of directors, specially requested by Eric Khoo to be part of the project, spin creepy tales that possess their own home countries' brand of horror.

Each story will be told in the local language that the episode is based on, and will also provide insights of the social issues that exist in that country.

Six episodes will air each Sunday exclusively on HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601), beginning from 7 October, 10 PM.They will also be available onHBO Go and HBO On Demand (StarHub TV Ch 602).

Non-subscribers of HBO will be able to watch the first episode "Folklore: A Mother's Love"via streaming on HBO GO for free, from 10 PM on October 7.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

Warner TV Asia, home of DC Comics' superhero shows like "Arrow", "The Flash", "Supergirl" and "DC Legends of Tomorrow", has a list of other TV series that appeal to geeky folks. Non-Arrowverse shows like "Krypton" and "Gotham" help to expand the DC Universe, and "iZombie" (loosely based on the comic book series of the same name) cater to those who like zombies but prefer something far less intense than AMC's "The Walking Dead".

Three other shows aired by Warner TV are also set to returning on screen this week. They are "The Big Bang Theory", its prequel series "Young Sheldon", and cop show "Lethal Weapon".

THE BIG BANG THEORY

Special Premiere: 25 September 2018, Tuesday, 8:10 PMEpisodes: every Friday from September 28, 8:10 PM

This will be the 12th and last season of the long running comedy series. It is in fact the longest-running multi-camera comedy series in TV history. The sitcom has told stories about eccentric geek Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and his friends, like Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) who finally gotten married. Sheldon himself tied the knot with neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) in the finale of Season 11, with surprise guest Mark Hamill officiating the wedding! It will be business as usual in this final season, with Sheldon playing fantasy role-playing games with friends that include fellow scientists Rajesh Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Howard’s wife, Bernadette (Melissa Rauch).

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Bring up the name Krypton, and the first thing that comes to mind is Superman aka Kal-el. The Superman legend is very well known by now, but do we know what happened in the House of El during his grandpapa's days?

Developed by David S. Goyer and Damian Kindler, a new superhero TV series "Krypton" aims to expand the Superman mythology, and explore new canon about one of the most prominent noble houses of Superman's home planet. The events happening in the series will unfold before Krypton's fateful and explosive destruction.

Seg-el (Cameron Cuffe), the grandfather of Kal-el, is faced with a difficult situation. The House of El is being ostracized, and Krypton's leadership is in disarray. He has to find ways to save his family honour so that Kal-el's future is secure. But that might mean that the planet of Krypton may have to be destroyed, causing his kind to be annihilated.

Friday, February 16, 2018

The violent, dystopian world of make-believe in HBO's award-winning series "Westworld" was one of the most unforgettable, provocative shows in 2017.

The scifi show about the complex interactions between humans and androids in a futuristic theme park, had Red Dot Diva at the edge of her seat as plot twists and surprises were slowly revealed layer after layer in each episode.

Credit had to go to the stellar cast of actors consisting of Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, Thandie
Newton, Ed Harris, James Marsden, Tessa Thompson, Clifton Collins Jr,
and many more. Their performances, especially the actors who played the hosts,were nuanced and haunting.

Season 1 of HBO's original series "Westworld" wrapped up with a satisfying yet tantalizing finale that offered up a few twists (one in particular) that most fans did not expect. After those last shocking few seconds, Red Dot Diva has so many more questions about Ford, the future of Delos Incorporated now that the hosts are awake, and the repercussions of Dolores' and Maeve's actions.

Some reprieve from all that unresolved suspense came in the form of a Season 2 sneak peek released at SDCC 2016. The teaser showed a series of bloody massacres happening in the park and in Delos, with a vengeful Dolores going on a rampage.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Lots of things happened in the Season 7 finale of HBO's award-winning series "Game of Thrones".

What is the repercussion of the liaison between Daenrys and Jon Snow? Is Tormund still alive? Will there be a brother vs brother, Drogon vs Viserion showdown? Who will sit on the Iron Throne when the series ends?

Unfortunately, it will be more than a year before fans will get to know the answers. The final and 8th season of "Game of Thrones" will air only in 2019. The actual premiere date has not been announced yet, but Season 8, which consists of 6 episodes, will air on HBO Asia the same time as the U.S. telecast.

The wait seems interminable, so what can fans do in the meantime until Season 8 premieres?

Sunday, August 20, 2017

In recent years, HBO Asia has been actively committed to the Asian region, giving local and regional talent a chance to shine, and providing avenues to put original Asian stories on the international stage.

Dark fantasy series "Halfworlds", which used Indonesia and Thailand as backdrops, continued for two seasons. Earlier this year, "The Teenage Psychic', HBO Asia's first Chinese-language drama set in Taiwan, received high ratings locally and in Taiwan for its first episode.

"SeNT" features local talent Alaric Tay's directorial debut for a TV series. The comedian, best known for his hilarious scenes as Andre Chicak and reporter Xin Hua Hua in the Emmy-nominated satire, "The Noose", is also co-producer of "SeNT". The series is produced in partnership with the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA).

Jay Bunani (Haresh Tilani of "Ministry of Funny") is a regular financial compliance officer who writes scathing emails to his boss and colleagues whenever work frustration strikes. These emails were stored only in his drafts folder until one fine day, an unfortunate incident caused the highly inappropriate emails to be sent to everyone who had aggravated him.

Saturday, July 15, 2017

There may not be any "Game of Thrones" cast or crew members helping out with the Season 7 promotion in Red Dot Island this year, but there are still some pop-up activities that fans could take part in.

These events will only run from 15 to 16 July (Sat and Sun), and lead up to HBO Asia's Season 7 premiere which will air on 17 July morning, the same time as the U.S. telecast.

Red Dot Diva and Lannister Lion teamed up to check out two different parts of "Westeros" - Cathay Cineleisure and Vivocity.

Sunday, July 2, 2017

Already parading your House banneraround your housing estate? Have an army of loyal warriors on stand by? What about your own specially designed crown?

Check on all three?

Then, you are SET to sit on the life-sized Iron Throne, which will be displayed at Orchard Cineleisure on July 16, Sunday! Capture a photo of your regal moment together with some "Game of Thrones" characters, for Winter is Here!

On the day before (15 July, Saturday), a special life-sized ice carving of the Iron Throne will be exhibited at the same venue. You cannot sit on this one of course, but you can still try to win limited edition prizes on site! These premiums have been frozen in blocks of ice, and you can try to chip away to get to them.

Sunday, June 25, 2017

While gazillion "Game of Thrones" fans have been waiting impatiently for Season 7 to arrive, a new trailer was released by HBO. The cable channel had sneakily usurped the summer solstice with the battle cry that #WinterIsHere.

Any hardcore "Game of Thrones" fan must have watched the new trailer multiple times by now, trying to piece together the sneak peeks of various characters in different locations. There are a host of geek websites and podcasts that have broken down each teaser scene in detail, so Red Dot Diva is not going to rehash that.

All she is going to say is, not only #WinterIsHere, #WarIsComing also. Massive, fiery, bloody wars that seem to be the focus of the season, as the various houses and their alliances begin to converge.

However, to promote upcoming Season 7 of "Game of Thrones", fans are invited to view their beloved TV show in a much smaller scale. An epicly miniscule scale, to be exact.

Together with art studio and curatorial space K+, HBO Asia commissioned microsculptor Salavat Fidai to carve 16 pieces of various images from the show, all on the tips of fragile graphite lead pencils.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

HBO's insanely popular TV series "Game of Thrones" is known for portraying scenes on a grand majestic scale. As Season 7 is set to return to our screens on 17 July 2017, the battle for the Iron Throne is expected to get more intense.

However, to promote the upcoming new season, HBO Asiais offering fans a chance to view Westeros in a whole different level - a very tiny level to be exact. The company has specially commissioned Russian artist/ sculptor Salavat Fidai to carve a series of microsculptures on the tips of graphic pencil leads!

16 of these astoundingly intricate carvings will be on display at K+ Curatorial Space this coming weekend till 4 June, and it is free to attend! The sculptures include iconic images like the White Walker, Hand of the King, various different house sigils, Drogon, Three-Eyed Raven, the Oathkeeper and more!

Saturday, March 11, 2017

After that shocking "Game of Thrones" S6 season finale where a whole bunch of people went Kaboom!, the cruel and scheming Cersei ended up being crowned as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. From then on, things are just going to get more intense.

The convergence of the different houses in Season 7 will unfold in just seven episodes as the different players focus on King's Landing. This is ominously depicted in the first official teaser made entirely of sigils belonging to the main Houses at play - the Lannisters, the Targaryens, the Starks, the Baratheons and the Tyrells, plus one more powerful game changer - the White Walkers.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Before HBO's "Westworld" took TV and scifi audiences by storm, there was a brilliant series by UK's Channel 4 and AMC called "Humans" about sentient androids hiding in the plain sight from human beings.

The first season which starred a wonderful ensemble cast including William Hurt as Dr George Millican, one of premiere robotics engineers of the first working synthetics (or "synths" for short), Colin Morgan, Gemma Chan, Emily Berrington, Katherine Parkinson, Ivanno Jeremiah and more.

The follow-up season of "Humans" returns on AMC Asia, Singtel (Channel 322), 14 February 2017 at 10 PM.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Here's a way to infuse some Asian-ess in the year-end festive celebrations. You can watch two Chinese martial arts shows while chowing down on some baked ham and roasted turkey, and you can do this wayyyyy before Chinese New Year too! That is because HBO Asia will be screening an original martial arts anthology at 9 PM on 25 December and 26 December respectively! Shiok!!!

Saturday, November 26, 2016

If you can't make it on its first day, the cafe (aptly located at the ground floor of Central Mall; the shop front faces Magazine Road) operates from Tuesdays to Sunday, from 10 AM to 10 PM.

After a rousing and successful crowdfunding project, the journey of bringing the fictional Central Perk Cafe to existence has its share of ups and downs. Generally, Red Dot Island fans who remember and watch the TV series were joyous when Jit Min, founder of the passion project, shared that he was looking for a suitable space for the cafe. However, a few months later, the brickbats came fast and furious when a very atas-sounding SGD 1,000 membership package was announced.

"Is this going to be a scam?" cried many cynical folks. With a couple of notably unfortunate incidences recently (*coughHelloKittycough*), Red Dot Diva is not surprised that some people felt that way. Especially when the owners were tight-lipped about providing more details at that time.

Regardless of the naysayers, there were more than enough fans who were eager to see Red Dot Island get their very own Central Perk Cafe.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

When best-selling author Michael Crichton passed away in 2008, Red Dot Diva was utterly devastated. She was a big fan of his writing and have devoured several of his geeky scifi, medical, techno-thriller-based books - "Jurassic Park", "Timeline" and "Prey" being her favourites - with relish. Many of Michael Crichton's stories were set in a not too distant future and hence, they were like a chilling warning of possible outcomes due to medical or technological advances. It was a little like Black Mirror before there was Black Mirror.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Hailed by Netflix as one of its most bingeworthy and re-watchable original series, "Orange Is The New Black" (OITNB) the female prison comedy-drama show based on memoirist Piper Kerman's book, just premiered its fourth season last week. According to statistics, about 53% of OITNB fans has re-watched at least one full season of the series.

To create some hype for the series and its new season, Netflix Asia brought Litchfield Penitentiary's Cafeteria right into the heart of Orchard Road. Fans could cure their addiction for two days on 16 and 17 June 2016 when diner & bar Overeasy transformed their Liat Towers branch to the familiar "Orange Is The New Black" women's prison.

If it weren't for Red Dot Diva's geek pal Jas, she would not have known about this interesting promo that was held free of charge, specially for the show's fans. With her fast skillful fingers (*Diva smirkes and wriggles her eyebrows*), she managed to chope their seats for lunchtime on Friday ,17 June.

Besides, Red says she's giving the Red Dot Islanders, with their fussy tastebuds, a second chance: